Jero Wows Audiences in S.F., L.A.
By J.K. Yamamoto
The first U.S. tour by enka superstar Jero was a unique cross-cultural mix.
Jerome Charles White Jr., 28, grew up in Pittsburgh and at first glance appears to be an African American hip-hop artist, complete with baseball cap and bling. But he sings enka — Japanese ballads of love and loss usually associated with the older generation — in perfect Nihongo.
Performing as Jero, he has made enka cool for younger audiences in Japan. With several hit records under his belt, he played to packed houses at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on March 28 and the Aratani/Japan America Theatre in Los Angeles on March 31. The concerts, attended by a combined total of about 1,800 people, were presented by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) and the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC).
Jero greeted the enthusiastic San Francisco audience in both Japanese and English. He sang such hits as “Umiyuki” (Ocean Snow), his debut single from 2008, and last year’s “Tsumeato” (Scar), taking the time between songs to share some of his personal history.
His maternal grandmother, Takiko, was Japanese, and she introduced him to enka at an early age. He recalled learning and singing the songs, many by the legendary Hibari Misora, to please his grandmother, although he didn’t understand the lyrics at the time. He later studied and mastered Japanese.
After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in information science, he moved to Japan and won NHK’s “Nodo Jiman,” a national singing competition, in 2003.
Jero expressed regret that his grandmother never lived to see him become a household name in Japan. She died in 2005 and he fulfilled a pledge to her by appearing on “Kohaku Uta Gassen,” a popular singing show broadcast every New Year’s Eve, on Dec. 31, 2008. That same month he was named best new artist at the Japan Record Awards.
His U.S. debut was last year at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. He admitted that he was initially “terrified” about performing enka for an American audience, but the concert was very well received.
Regarding his West Coast debut, Jero modestly said that he hadn’t been sure if anyone would show up. In fact, both shows were sold out, with Japanese nationals and Japanese Americans filling the seats along with others interested in enka.
Jero announced that he has appeared in a TV commercial for instant noodles in Japan, adding that he wore a kimono — something that he never does when performing. However, he kept his baseball cap on.
He also revealed that his favorite R&B singer is Luther Vandross, but that he has no plans to record any songs in English. Saying that he probably would not have survived on “American Idol,” he did an impression of Simon Cowell ridiculing a contestant.
The concert included “Yanchado,” which Jero recorded as the theme song for an animated movie featuring the popular manga character Crayon Shin-chan.
Jero again spoke of his family toward the end of the evening, dedicating a song to his mother, Harumi. She had a hard time growing up in Japan as a half-black, half-Japanese child and that experience overshadowed her life, he said, but his success has helped her to “open up” and become “a different person.”
He noted that the song, “Harebutai” (Gala), contains the same character as his mother’s name. The kanji for “hare” and “haru” means “clear sky.”
For his encore, Jero sang “Ue o Muite Arukou” and invited the audience to sing along. Recorded by Kyu Sakamoto in the early 1960s, the song became a hit in the U.S. under the title “Sukiyaki.”
“I thank you for coming today and I will continue to do my best and make you proud,” he said.
Jero was accompanied by his band — Keiko Kato (piano), Kazuki Kitamori (saxophone), Yasuhito Sasaki (guitar), Yuichi Hirakawa (drums), and Noriatsu Naraoka (bass).
Goodwill Ambassador
During a post-concert reception, Jero was praised by JCCCNC Executive Director Paul Osaki and President Dianne Fukami as well as Consul General Yasumasa Nagamine. The singer went from table to table for picture-taking and autographs before being whisked away to his Los Angeles engagement.
In an interview, Fukami pointed out that this year marks the 150th anniversary of U.S.-Japan diplomatic relations. “Jero-san is one of our best examples of cross-cultural exchange that’s occurred in the last 150 years. Here’s a young man who was born and raised in America, of Japanese ancestry. He’s become a goodwill ambassador on both sides of the Pacific.
“In Japan, he shows them what an American of Japanese ancestry is all about, and here in this country, he brings us back to the enka roots of our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents … It was a very special event for us.”
JCCCNC board member Yo Hironaka commented, “I really like the way he interacted with us, with the audience.”
Describing enka as a “hard core” example of Japanese culture, Nagamine said, “Now Jero is part of enka, so the enka world will grow rich with Jero’s participation and singing. I wish him success.”
Being a city of bridges, San Francisco was an appropriate site for Jero’s first West Coast concert, he said. “Jero is building a great bridge between Japan and the rest of the world, especially the United States. So I hope he will come back to San Francisco again and again to make sure that the bridge is getting stronger and stronger.”
The consul general added that one would never guess that Jero is not a native speaker of Japanese. “When you listen to Jero and just close your eyes, it’s just a great singer of Japan … He has a strong voice, a great voice, and it matches the intricacy of enka singing. I enjoyed it.”
JCCCNC Chairman Kaz Maniwa was “really not familiar with enka at all” when he attended the concert, but found that “Jero is very passionate about his music, and it comes across. Even though I don’t understand Japanese, I was quite moved by his performance. I was sorry when the concert ended …
“I’m very touched by him because he really has not tried to change the way enka is sung in Japan. He basically adopted the style. He has his own fashion style, but doesn’t try to reinterpret the enka style.
“I found him to be a very charming, warm person who’s just a delight to be around. Very gracious. He was really touched that so many people came out to see him.”
In Los Angeles, Jero also performed at JACCC’s 30th anniversary celebration on March 30 along with taiko master Kenny Endo, jazz pianist Keiko Matsui and slack key guitarist Daniel Ho.
Jero is currently on a national concert tour of Japan that will continue until June.
